


Forest Child

by sweetcarolanne



Category: Original Work
Genre: Animal Sanctuaries, Animal Welfare, Apes & Monkeys, Conservation, Extra Treat, Foster Care, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Love, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-01 22:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16293098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetcarolanne/pseuds/sweetcarolanne
Summary: Bulan, an extremely unique little orangutan, needs the loving help of Dewi, her human caregiver, to become accustomed to her own kind.





	Forest Child

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spinning_yarns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinning_yarns/gifts).



> Dear spinning_yarns, I saw your request and couldn't resist writing you something - I hope you enjoy it! <3
> 
> This is based upon the true story of Alba, the albino orangutan.
> 
> Many thanks to my anonymous beta.
> 
> Meanings of the Indonesian names used in this story:
> 
> Bulan: Moon  
> Dewi: Goddess  
> Farah: Joy  
> Joyo: Victorious  
> Diah: Young and powerful girl  
> Gesang: Life or alive  
> Intan: Diamond  
> Tuan: Sir or gentleman  
> Murni - Pure

What had she seen, this orphan, and how would her life change now that she was safe? This baby had been through untold traumas, and yet she seemed so tranquil, so unfazed by all the changes she had known in her short life. 

She had seen her mother die, no doubt, and had been kept for the first three years of her life as a pet in a tiny cage. Now she was rescued and receiving proper care, but her world was set to change further as she was introduced to the other youngsters who would hopefully become her friends.

Eyes of pale blue, so unlike the eyes of the other baby orangutans, regarded Dewi with curiosity and a gentle trust as slender arms embraced her and small hands formed tight bunches in Dewi’s khaki shirt. No trace of fear showed on that calm little face as Dewi stroked her soft white fur; she displayed only the wonder that was perfectly natural for a child to show. And that was how Dewi thought of little Bulan and the other orphaned orangutans she helped to look after at the sanctuary – they were her foster-children. Babies who must learn proper orangutan ways at this haven so that most of them could, some day, hopefully be released into the wild.

Dewi had never considered the apes to be mere animals. The purely scientific-minded among her colleagues may have sneered at such sentimentality, but the intelligence they revealed lifted them, in her opinion, far above the ranks of beasts. They were so much like humans in so many ways, And Bulan appeared to be the smartest yet; she had a maturity beyond her years that showed itself in the way she observed her surroundings and explored each new thing she came across. She had even learned to peel a banana with her delicate, nimble fingers after watching Dewi do it once – unlike some of the over-eager youngsters who often stuffed bananas whole and unpeeled into their mouths. Plump little Gesang, one of the older male babies, was notorious for this.

“He’ll be able to match Tuan soon,” Dewi often quipped, and all her colleagues nodded in agreement. Pictures of dominant male Tuan, one of the semi-wild orangutans from the nearby forest, with entire bunches of bananas puffing out his massive flanged face as he sat on the feeding platform, had gone viral around the world.

Bulan, too, seemed likely to become the internet’s darling. Only one other albino orangutan had ever been discovered, and that rare beauty’s revelation had generated a flurry of international interest in the plight of orangutans, and some very welcome donations. Hopefully Bulan would also help to draw the world’s attention to orangutan and forest conservation.

Dewi checked the diaper that Bulan was wearing to make sure it was well fastened – all the babies wore them to stop the spread of disease-carrying bacteria. Bulan reached up and tried to pull the surgical mask that Dewi wore (to stop the spread of human germs to the vulnerable young orangutans) off the sanctuary worker’s face, and Dewi laughed, pushing her hand away.

“How’s Bulan doing?”

Dewi turned with a smile as she heard her supervisor, Farah, approach.

“Very good, so far,” Dewi replied, “She passed the vets’ check for sunburn, so they reckon it’s safe for her to go outside. I think it’s best to try and integrate her in the cages with some of the others first, though.”

Bulan may have loved Dewi as her substitute mother, but she was an orangutan and she needed to get to know her own kind before too long.

Farah nodded, smiling as the little white ape turned her head towards her, as if she understood every word the humans were saying. “How did they react to her last night?”

“A lot better than when she first moved into the enclosure next to theirs. Joyo was acting like he always does, kiss-squeaking at poor Bulan and showing off to the others, telling everyone he’s the top man in there, but at least he didn’t try to bite her this time. The others came a little bit closer to her, except for Murni who’s still very shy. She stayed right at the back of the cage and wouldn’t budge. Diah seems to be the one who’s the most curious about her. I’m hoping she’ll soon try to make friends with Bulan.”

“Sounds promising,” Farah said. “Let’s go see how she does with them today.”

Bulan clung to her foster-mother as they approached the babies’ large indoor enclosure, but seemed eager enough to detach and slip inside when the door opened. Immediately she began swinging on one of the horizontal ropes by her feet, watching her new companions, the little red-furred orangutans, as she did so.

The others watched her, making no moves at first and then drawing gradually closer. Joyo, the would-be alpha male, seemed rather nonplussed at having the newcomer at such close quarters. He uttered one loud kiss-squeak to express his annoyance, but then fell silent as Bulan showed neither submission nor an aggressive display.

She swung from the horizontal climbing rope to one of the vertical ones, righting herself and looking Joyo straight in the eye. Her face, as always, was calm and her gaze was inquiring, as if she was asking him, “Who are you?”

Joyo stared. He had never seen anyone like Bulan before! He sat very still, his body posture showing his wariness as he watched one of the young females, Diah, make her way over to Bulan and touch her lightly on the arm. Another female, Intan, joined them moments later, and soon all three of them were playing, climbing and swinging all around the cage.

Dewi gasped, hardly able to believe what she was seeing, and Farah was smiling broadly as she turned to Dewi.

“It looks like all your hard work is paying off!”

“I hope so,” Dewi answered, and her eyes flicked back to the cage full of youngsters. “Bulan will be ready for the jungle school soon, and able to play outside, if all goes well… but everything depends on what Joyo will do next. If he accepts her, she can stay with the others.”

Timid little Murni and cuddly, banana-loving Gesang had by now joined the playful group, and Bulan appeared to be having the time of her life. Seeking some rest, she dropped down and sat in one of the horizontally halved plastic barrels that the sanctuary staff referred to as “the buckets”. The particular one she had chosen happened to be one of Joyo’s favourite spots, and Dewi kept her eyes on Bulan and Joyo with bated breath.

She could never have anticipated what happened next. Joyo moved in what seemed to be slow motion towards the bucket, and sat just behind Bulan. He looked at her for a few moments and, seeing no reaction of alarm, reached out one hand to gingerly prod her.

Then, instead of kiss-squeaking or biting, he began to gently groom her.

Dewi heaved a massive sigh of relief, and she and Farah exchanged another smile.

From the nearby jungle, the long-call of a male orangutan, very likely Tuan, echoed, seeming like the promise of a better life for the forest children.


End file.
